Grokkist Press
Reading Room
Snackables
Things we found elsewhere and pass on: a film, a tool, an essay, a corner of the old internet. A few lines on why, then off you go. New ones join the shelf as we find them, newest first.
14 Jan 2024
A joyfully subversive art project that explores avenues for self-expression in the most famously unexpressive kind of photography — the passport photo. Heavily restricted and regulated (face the camera straight on, clear background, no glare, and most importantly no smile), the series chal
Read the note ↗8 Dec 2023
Whether you're trying to keep pace with the chaotic creator economy from the inside or merely watching on with bemusement, this whirlwind but detailed behind-the-scenes tour will make things clearer while making your head spin. It's told through Ursus Magana, a 20-something talent manager
Read the note ↗8 Dec 2023
A collection of amusing wildlife photography — exactly what it says on the tin. A young greenfinch gets scolded, human legs emerge from a batfish, and a kangaroo shreds on an air guitar. My favourite is the delightfully languid 'paint me like one of your French macaques' picture right at t
Read the note ↗8 Dec 2023
An ecologist-and-filmmaker husband-and-wife team based in Hobart have built an impressive library of engaging, information-dense content to aid public education and the conservation of giant trees and their forests. Efforts include a comprehensive Big Tree Register with stunning photograph
Read the note ↗25 Nov 2023
'The Information Age is clearly pushing us towards low-res conclusions on questions that warrant deep, long, high-res consideration.' If you were asked to draw a leaf you might draw a green, vaguely eye-shaped thing with a stem — but a real elm leaf has rounded serrations, each tipped by t
Read the note ↗25 Nov 2023
Writer, activist and comedian Baratunde Thurston reimagines the word 'citizen' as a verb, bringing new perspectives and practices from people working to make us all more hopeful, connected, and moved to act in ways that leverage our collective power. Why not start with the episode on craft
Read the note ↗25 Nov 2023
Something fun and joyful. Leonhard Paul of Mnozil Brass — an absurdist Austrian brass band and performance ensemble — maintains a completely deadpan expression while somehow playing two trombones and two trumpets from a sitting position. I saw Mnozil Brass live once in Melbourne years ago.
Read the note ↗25 Nov 2023
Wikiloc is a place to discover and share the best outdoor trails for hiking, cycling and dozens of other activities — a database of over 45 million routes contributed by some 13 million members. There's an app for making lists, navigating with offline maps, sharing with friends, and showin
Read the note ↗25 Nov 2023
Blacklight is a real-time website privacy inspector: enter a URL and it scans for ad trackers, third-party cookies, session-monitoring scripts, and the dreaded Facebook Pixel, then reports back. A scan of one major news site turned up a whopping 46 ad trackers and 102 third-party cookies.
Read the note ↗29 Oct 2023
A post for people who like to invent (or add to their collection of) names for the social experiences and phenomena we observe around us. I've adopted 'elastic mood' from this collection — 'when a mood is so overwhelming you mistake the intensity of it for the longevity of it.' Sometimes w
Read the note ↗29 Oct 2023
Excitable music-theory YouTuber Charles Cornell breaks down the insanely complicated grooves and odd meter of the iconic 1977 Sesame Street song, 'Twelve.' A warm nostalgia bath that's also, somehow, an education in odd time signatures.
Read the note ↗29 Oct 2023
'When does one person's desire to document their life interfere with another's preference for privacy? How does one person pulling out their phone impact another guest's experience of the gathering itself?' Priya Parker is known for her wisdom on the art of organising social gatherings. He
Read the note ↗